Technical Field
The invention relates to pet supplies and particularly to a dispenser containing a plurality of pet waste disposal bags therein; where the bags are in a tissue-style arrangement within the dispenser and are able to be individually removed from the dispenser with a single hand. More specifically, the invention relates to such a dispenser having a cord, particularly an elastic cord, attached thereto in any one of a number of different possible configurations; where the cord is selectively attachable to a pet leash or collar and is able to be tightly cinched thereto, thereby enabling the pet owner to conveniently carry the dispenser and disposal bags while walking a pet.
Background Information
Pets, and in particular dogs, are owned by countless individuals who live in various parts of the country. Many of these individuals live in cities and residential areas where it is required to pick up pet feces or waste that may be “deposited” around the neighborhood while taking a pet for a walk. Obviously, picking up pet feces or waste is a slightly unpleasant task and many pet owners will carry used plastic grocery bags or pet waste bags on rolls for the purpose of picking up their pet's waste. The pet owner may need to carry more than one bag for use during a walk.
While using plastic grocery bags works satisfactory, the person walking their pet must ensure that used plastic grocery bags are available to them and that they take these bags with them every time they are heading out to walk their pet. It is readily understood that at certain times, due to the necessity of putting a collar or harness on a dog, putting on a coat or walking shoes, that the pet walker may forget to take these bags with them. This may present a problem for the owner because they will then be unable to pick up their pet waste and dispose of it properly.
There are some waste disposal bag dispensers in use that are able to be attached to a leash and are configured to carry a number of disposal bags therein. These dispensers are often cylindrical in shape and are configured to carry a roll of disposal bags in their interior. The dispenser will typically be engaged with the leash by way of a carabiner or other type of clip that attaches to one end of the dispenser and is then clipped to the leash or to a collar worn by the animal. The dispenser thus hangs generally perpendicularly downwardly from the carabiner and thereby hangs generally perpendicularly downwardly from the leash or collar. There is thus a gap between the body of the dispenser and the leash or collar. If the carabiner is clipped to the leash itself, there is a tendency for the dispenser to slide down the length of the leash and toward the dog. If the dog stops moving and sits down, the dispenser may slide for a distance back along the leash toward the handle of the leash. So the dispenser has a tendency to slide back and forth along the leash during use. Furthermore, since the dispenser is suspended from the leash, the dispenser tends to swing back and forth as the dog walks. If the dog is walking quickly or is running, this swinging motion can become extremely annoying to the user and if the dispenser slides too close to the dog's body, the dispenser may hit the dog as it swings back and forth. To try and address this problem, many owners will clip the carabiner to the dog's collar. While this positioning will stop the sliding motion back and forth along the length of the leash, it will not stop the dispenser from hitting the dog's body as the dog walks or runs. To try and address that problem, owners may clip the carabiner on the leash handle. This positioning might stop the dispenser from sliding along the leash but the dispenser now interferes with the owner's hand that grips the handle. In many instances, the carabiner cannot be easily clipped to the leash handle because of the handle's construction. Handles on retractable leashes, for instance, are configured in such a way that in many instances carabiners cannot be used to secure these dispensers to these handles. It is estimated that around 40% of U.S. dog owners use retractable leashes, so these owners would have to clip the dispensers to the leash itself or to the dog's collar.
Additionally, because the dispenser bags within these generally cylindrical dispensers are in a roll, it requires two hands for the owner to hold the dispenser, pull an end of the next bag out of the dispenser, unroll the roll of bags until a line of perforations is reached, and then tear the bag off the roll, all while holding the leash handle. This is particularly problematic because the dispenser tends to want to slide along the leash or the dispenser is attached to the handle and interferes with the owner's hand in the leash handle, or the dispenser is on the collar of a dog who is urgently trying to “take care of business”.